Commander in Chief

So – why did no one tell me that it was coming back on? I mean, they really should be sending notices about this. Commander in Chief is back – but they changed the day. I’ve been taping the same time slot, waiting for it to return. But, I just happen to be flipping channels on Thursday night, and I find that there’s a new episode! Why didn’t they advertise this change? Hmmm…

But if you missed it before, it might be worth a look now…not earth shattering TV, but fun to imagine possibilities…

Ragtime

Today, I went down to see Ragtime at Columbia College (thanks, Shane!). Great production. Great singing and acting and good sets (not as cool as Fabulation, but that would be hard to beat). Quality theater experience.

Powerful play. If you get a chance, go see it. Faces issues of race – and how, even after so much time, life hasn’t changed much. Still racism and pain and violence. Oh, the quick movement to violence in the midst of conflict.

Appropriate for Holy Week, I think…

Fabulation

Henry and I went to see Fabulation: or, the Re-Education of Undine at the NeXt Theatre. It was really good. I’m really glad that we to see it. It was a preview show and they asked for our feedback at the end. I was happy with almost all of it. The acting was absolutely amazing – a small cast to handle many different characters. The sets were also great – props that doubled as a set and worked for many different locations. The plot had some important points about identity and self-discovery as Undine finds herself somewhere that she never expected to be.

I did have some problems with the main character addressing the audience at some points. I don’t mind this tool – it can be very effective, but there were a couple of instances where I thought that it was a bit much.

However, the drawback was very small compared to the greatness of the play.

Allegan Cabaret

GO ELLEN!
I had the opportunity to attend the yearly Cabaret in Allegan. What a great show! And my friend Ellen performed. She was so cool that she even closed the show! And she did an absolutely wonderful job. As I was leaving the theater, one man walking next to me mentioned, “I have a new appreciation for Ellen now.”

Congrats to you, friend!

Pompeii

I went to the Field Museum to see the Pompeii exhibit. It was wonderful. I went on Monday – the last free week for the Jan-Mar free time (sorry that I didn’t realize that before).

I just wandered through the entire exhibit with the headset, which had some great extra information. Interesting to look at the many items that have been recovered. The horror of that day is unthinkable and the suffering apparent on faces that have been recovered through a casting technology.

The exhibit is open until March 26. Check it out if you can make some time.

The Book of Daniel

I finally watched the taped Book of Daniel. Since everyone was talking about it, I thought that I’d throw out some more thoughts… (that’s what a blog is for, right?). I found the show entertaining. We found some great things to talk about with it – like, how realistic is the family? Why do TV producers insist that everything be over the top? But, it also does help people see that priests are real people, too. Several clergy were talking about it, and there were a few comments that were helpful: seeing the prayer life with Jesus right there, that PKs will always cause problems for their parents, and that sometimes, bad things happen in churches (like money going missing).

A friend of mine who is a PK insists that it was her job to make sure that people would feel comfortable talking to her mother – she needed to be really bad so that the parishioner’s children’s problems couldn’t even compare to what the priest was going through…

Anyway – it will be interesting to see where it goes and what people have to say about it. I wonder how many bishops will get asked why they don’t hang out in every parish every week and give feedback to the priest about the sermon.

Second City

So – tonight I went to Second City for their annual fundraiser for Santa Letters. It was a great night. The improv was entertaining, but the best part was Robbie Fulks. He was AMAZING – the guitar playing was great. He did a few of his own things, but also Dancing Queen and Billie Jean. So very funny.

Boston Legal

So – in the report of TV shows, let’s continue with Boston Legal. I just caught this for the first time (accidentally taped after Commander in Chief the first time around). I had heard that it was a great show. So – now I’ve seen it – and sure enough, I love it. What a great cast! It is amazing – funny and punny and smart and great camera work. Definitely worth checking out – but it is David E. Kelly and lawyer stuff, so consider that before watching.

Commander in Chief

So – I’ve started watching TV again. Not quite sure what’s up with that. Perhaps not being completely overwhelmed at the beginning of a school year, which means that I can then see the beginning of the season. This is the beginning of a totally new series – Commander in Chief. I taped the first couple of shows before I actually watched it (so, I’m still behind the times…). But it was amazing to me how powerful it was at the end of the first episode to see a woman stand up as the President. I thought that it would be cool, but there was an amazing feeling to me to see a woman stand up as the president.

A must see!

Cinderella

My friend Sarah invited me to see Cinderella at the Lyric Opera. It was a great performance. I had a wonderful time. I’ve decided that I really don’t care to listen to opera – but really enjoy watching it. Perhaps the visual helps understand all the foreign words…and the English translation helps, too!

The acting was amazing, the staging well done, and I still haven’t figure out how the set works. Definitely a fabulous evening and I’m happy that it all worked out for me to get there and go (A car problem delayed my getting there when planned, but things worked out okay…)! Thanks, Sarah!

Urinetown

Shane, Laurie and I went to see Urinetown at Northwestern on Saturday. We had a bit of an issue getting inside due to all kinds of people cutting and “special” people getting seated. We did get seats (better than some other people who came in later) and ended up enjoying a really well done show. It had won many awards and (when on Broadway) probably deserved them. The music was fabulous. And I liked it for the same reason I like Veggie Tales – all kinds of music weave together to create a coherent show. I really enjoyed the show.

It also had an environmental message to the world – how are we using our resources? Will we end up polluting all that we have?

I also appreciated the leadership questions that came up. When the resources need to be controlled, who gets control? How does a dictator cause problems for the people involved? How might this person actually be helpful (especially when another person comes along with no guiding or control over the situation)? While people were unhappy with the dictator, they also ended up dying under the “rule” of the next person who takes the completely opposite approach to leadership.

Unfortunately, it was a one-weekend run and it’s now over. But if you get a chance to see it, take it!

Everyone Hates Chris

The series premiere of Everyone Hates Chris was last week. I really like Chris Rock, so I wanted to check it out. I haven’t really watched TV in a year, but everyone seems so excited about a couple of shows, like this one. I really enjoyed it. Very funny and definitely worth checking out, and I’ll be watching again. I had checked out My Name is Earl, and while interesting, not as intriguing or funny as the first episode of “Chris.”

(Okay – now, I’ve seen episode #2 – and it’s really darn funny. Catch it on Thursdays on UPN!)

A Funny Thing Happened…

My friend Melissa was here for the weekend. It was a fun break in the middle of the beginning of the school year craziness.

We went and saw A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum at the Marriott in Lincolnshire. It was AMAZING! The fast-paced production was well acted. It was just fabulous. We had a great time, enjoying the singing and the funniness. Theater in the round done with great blocking. It was closing weekend, otherwise I would tell you all to go see it immediately.

Too Much Light...

So, several of us went to see Too Much Light Makes the Baby Go Blind. It was very good. 30 plays in 60 minutes. Which means – if you don’t like one, you just have to wait for a couple of minutes and it will change…
They are entertaining and I’m really sorry that I haven’t gone more often. They are entertaining. Very fun shows with some good stuff…this one has more personal information that I remember from the last time that I was there. Would definitely like to go back again before the school year starts…and nice to have a Sunday afternoon show – so it doesn’t mess up my sleep pattern – which is always a bonus.

Ebert and Roeper

So – I watched Ebert and Roeper the other day. I’m so unhappy with Roeper. He’s so critical of everything. I mean – sure, you’re getting a lot of money to tell people what to watch, but you’re not suggesting everything. Why are you even bothering? You’re telling people to not watch anything. Oh – except House of Wax!?!?!?!?! What? How could you give everything else a thumbs down and that a thumbs up?

Wicked

Wicked is WICKED! It was great! My mom came into town last night. We tried to get tickets through the lottery. That didn’t work, so we just bought them. But it was AWESOME! It was just a great show with a great story, music, acting.

Logan Lipton is great! He’s the most successful actor that I know that I have “I remember him when” stories about. I mean…he even has an unofficial fan site! The review with his name is here. We waited for him after the show and had to wait for the mass of young women waiting to get his autograph. Even a short time was fun to catch up and see how his life is going. And since it’s touring, his entire life is just taken up with that. GO LOGAN! Break a leg!

U2!!!!!!!!!

U2 ROCKS!

need i say more?
well - except - thanks, stacy!

ZACH!

So – Zach Braff spoke at Northwestern’s Pick-Staiger tonight. It was way awesome! He was very down to earth and fun to see. I was happy for the opportunity to see him. He talked about Garden State and Scrubs, of course. And then finally someone asked about his blog. He said that he was glad that he started it and encouraged the people there to do them when they become famous.

Music

On Saturday, I attended the Jazz Ensemble concert at Pick-Staiger. That was great! Wonderful music, great concert. Very glad that I went. It made me miss playing trumpet. Not that I was ever very good – but it was fun while I did it. It then made me wonder where my flute is (correct answer: probably Michigan).

Sunday afternoon, I went to the Evanston Public Library to see Chicago Voice Exchange. I’m not quite sure that the selection list was necessarily appropriate for the “family entertainment” that it was billed as. But I love CVX and have since I saw them in a mall about 10 years ago.

Museum of Contemporary Art

So – you might be asking yourself – “why is Heather up at 5:30 am?” I know that I am… not really sure the answer of that. I’ve actually been awake since 4. I wasn’t feeling well yesterday and skipped out early from the party to come home and get some rest. But, for some reason, didn’t sleep that well. Then, when the heater came on, something slammed and I thought that I’d get up and see if anything was wrong. Nope. But that was also the end of bed for me for a while. (Here’s still hoping that I’ll sleep a little more later this morning…)

Since I’m up, I’ll tell you the story of the Museum of Contemporary Art. I went on Friday night for the “First Friday” event. I hadn’t been there before and decided that it was a great opportunity to go down and see the museum and get some free food. I got there pretty early (6:15) and was able to see part of the museum and then join up with a tour. By 8:30, I was ready to go and realized that the group of people in the museum had grown a lot. Now, I expected people to be there, but no one sent me the memo to let me know that this was THE place to be on first Friday nights. I didn’t wear the right swanky clothes and I definitely wasn’t drinking enough.

Now, the Planetarium also does a “First Friday” night event. However, it seems to be such a different crowd… hmmm… (No, I’m not really shocked – but I was incredibly amused to watch the people on Friday. Definitely worth the price of admission to see the exhibits, get the tour, and observe a culture so different than my own.)

Little Shop of Horrors

So, also while in Michigan, I was able to see Little Shop of Horrors at the Kalamazoo Civic. It was held over for a weekend, or else I would have totally missed it.

Kenny was great as Seymour. Fun musical and they did a great job with it.

I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change

So – some days, being single sucks.
Now, don’t get me wrong. There are lots of bonuses to being single – I can do random trips to Korea, New Orleans, California, study in England for a term. I don’t have to worry about other people when I look for a job.

But other days (especially days like today), not so much.

So, last Thursday, I ushered at the Kalamazoo Civic for I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change. I had only seen a tape with my sister in it. So, I knew the basic layout of the show. And was not surprised to get to the end and cry.

The Civic’s production was good. The set was amazing – a rotating set with 3 sections on it. This was nice for scene changes. I think that my sister’s production did a better job with the “aging” people. They did a great job with the costumes and acting “old.”

It’s a great play, but just a really strong reminder that I’m single. Oh, well…on to the next part of the day…

Arrested Development

I went to visit Jen the other day and she showed me the pilot to Arrested Development. Great show! So, when I joined Netflix that night, I ordered the first season. Phil and I had a great time watching the entire first disc the other night. Definitely need to be getting some more of those.

Spanglish

My mom, my sister and I went to see Spanglish at the best movie theater ever (M-89 Theater in Otsego/Plainwell, Michigan). Ever since The Wedding Singer, Adam Sandler has been my hero. The movie was incredibly well done. I was amazed at how well it was made, the plot line, and the acting. The movie takes some time to look at how families interact, the challenges of marriage and commitment, and language barriers. Tea Leone’s character is crazy and she was my least favorite part of the movie. But by the end, she at least had a revelation or two about her identity and what she wants from life.

The movie has some important questions about temptation and what happens when original dreams and hopes have faded and reality has set in – the tough life of commitment and when it’s worth staying or better going. It provided thought-provoking ideas about what that might look like.

Well done movie and I would recommend that people actually see it.

A series of Unfortunate Events

I really like Jim Carrey. I think that he’s a great comedic talent. He can get on a roll and just run with it. So it was interested to see what he did with so many different (and bizarre) characters. I have read the first 3 books of A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket (the volumes used to create the movie), and so had some background for the story line. My cousin and friends had a little less information. They thought that it was quite bizarre.

It was interesting to me that they tried to put so many of the books in a movie at a time. But I guess better than going on for 15 movies… It was a little silly at points, but was happy that I went to see it. And it worked as we tried to find something for the adults and children in the group. I’ll be interested to hear if the kids go back and read the books now.

New Music…

My friend Andi has a new band. Check it out! She rocks!

Midwives

Yes, Midwives has been out forever. And it’s been sitting on my shelf (or moved in boxes) for almost that long. Vacation finally allowed me time to read it. It’s a great book. Very well written (as all the critics said). An engrossing storyline and good writing with a very interesting concept. Definitely read it if you get the chance. It brings up some interesting moral and ethical struggles. How does a family deal with the stress that comes from lies, untruth, or withholding information? How far do you go to protect someone you love (perhaps from themselves)?

It also brings up the question of vocation – our choices or lack thereof. Is vocation nurtured? Are we drawn to certain fields because of heredity?

I’ll take myself as a case in point. My biological father (with whom I had no contact until I was 19) and my mother are educational administrators. My first degree is in education – and I definitely have administrative skills. My next vocation, however, is as an Episcopal priest. And no recent family member that I know was a minister of any kind. (Though there is a rumor that the Pope that wouldn’t grant a divorce to King Henry VIII is a distant relative). Nature or nurture?

Veggie Tales Rock

So, I love Veggie Tales! I buy them for all the children I know. (Of course, so I can watch them!) The greatest part is the music. The writers are brilliant. They create great songs – a variety of styles. All entertaining and very catching tunes (Where is my hairbrush? Or Water Buffalo). These worked into the videos are great. Several discs have been released so everyone can sing along in the car, on the train…wherever.

However, a new stage has finally been found for the veggie’s songs. Some brilliant song writers/musicians got together and recorded great selections. Christian artists decided that they should also be singing the songs. Check out Veggie Rocks and see the great versions that they came up with. Laurie came to visit (before the Korea trip) and brought me a copy (THANKS!). Some people were especially happy to hear the “We are the pirates who don’t do anything” song.

Theater

I had the opportunity to visit Michigan for some great theater.

Wednesday night, I saw The Producers at WMU. It was GREAT! Great touring group. Alan Ruck played Leo Bloom. Very cool to see him on stage. He sings, he even dances better than I was imagining that he might. It was an absolutely fabulous show.

Thursday night was an outing to the Kalamazoo Civic to see Beauty and the Beast. The first community theatre granted permission to the rights (helps that the person playing Mrs. Potts on Broadway is a Kazoo Civic alum). They did a great job. The choreography needed some help, but everything else was great. I was very happy to have the opportunity to see it.

Saturday night: Caught Si in their rendition of Twelfth Night. AKMA has the picture up… (Well, definitely not the only picture – but very, very good.) It was great to see them. Susie and I remembered several of the people from when we saw them perform earlier this year. It was fun to see their progress. I look forward to seeing more productions. It’s one of the bonuses of being back in Evanston.

Finding Neverland

RUN RUN RUN! Don’t walk – to see Finding Neverland. Beth and I went to see it. It was absolutely enchanting. Johnny Depp is amazing. Absolutely amazing. It made me want to read Peter Pan. It almost made me want to write!

There are multiple themes that interweave nicely. But they all make me cry. Dealing with grief, writing (inventing worlds, using imagination), love for others, love for self. Also working through when life doesn’t go how you planned. The film was shot beautifully and was seamless. I loved it. I was speechless when it ended, and I'm still pretty speechless about it. Overwhelming and amazing.

De-Lovely

My sister and I tried to see De-Lovely last summer when it came out. Of course, it didn’t so much open in Kalamazoo. But American Airlines showed it on my way to Korea. It was a beautiful film. The structure was interesting. I appreciate Jonathan Pryce. I thought that he did well with his piece. Of course, Kevin Kline is absolutely amazing. And Ashley Judd continues to show grace and passion for her vocation. Everyone should see this film.

Alfie

Alfie is an interesting movie. Phil and I went to see it today. Jude Law plays a fabulous distinguished Englishman. Good choice. (While I really like Hugh Grant, I would not have chosen him for this role – bumbling and cute yes, distinguished and refined – not so much.) This movie asks the questions: What is life about? What does one really want?

I was struck by how much Alfie reminds me of some of my friends. How they are searching for something – perhaps someone to share their lives with, perhaps wanting to change their lifestyles. Definitely all about the struggle that occurs when someone tries to overcome those old habits.

The coolest things are the signs that are part of the set. They are huge billboards with one single word, all strategically placed. Words like “SEARCH,” “DESIRE,” “WISH.” Very cool. Nice visuals and a great addition to the plot.

Also worth noting is the great soundtrack. Mick Jagger and friends did a great job. It was obvious placement of music. But very, very appropriate. It really shows what can be done when you write music for a movie.

The credits are great. They include pictures of the producers and executives. Very cool.

ENDING (stop reading if you’re going to see it and don’t want to know): I appreciated not getting a definitive answer. They left it open ended as he continues his journey. This was helpful for all people who continue to examine futures (including me!). That it’s not as easy as a bit of examining oneself and deciding to make a change. There is a whole lot more work that goes into that change.

Mean Girls

(watched it before leaving for Korea)
It took long enough to finally watch Mean Girls – but I did and it was great! Funny, way-on-target. And of course since Shane has some connection to Shane Oman, there was a certain entertainment value that some couldn’t appreciate. Though, when Sky finally saw it, he seemed as entertained as I was.

But the script is funny, the plot entertaining, and the references to buses consistent. Some people may call it fluff or shallow or whatever. But I was entertained, and that’s pretty much what matters. The DVD extras win points for variety and thoroughness. I believe that DVDs should only be produced with extras. I prefer the commentary over the entire movie and deleted scenes are a necessity. This DVD fulfills all my dreams for an owning-worthy disc!

Confessions of a Dangerous Mind

I watched Confessions of a Dangerous Mind a bit ago. The Gong Show seems to be the precursor to reality shows. People get on stage and make a fool of themselves. As I was watching the movie – which was fabulous – I could only think about the parallels between the Gong Show and all the stuff we see with reality shows. Just people who want their 15 minutes of fame (or shame).

The movie was great though. I’m so glad that I took the time to see it.

Bad Boys II

Due to the fact that I’m working to much (yes, Gary, I will take some time off soon), I haven’t been watching a lot of movies. I really would like to watch something, but other things get in the way… Like class… and clergy conference. But I still have some old reviews sitting around…

Watched Bad Boys II on video (thanks, Mike!). Wow. What an amazing way to burn 2 hours. Big blowing up of stuff. Will Smith. Totally cool, but exactly as the reviews all said – overblown and too much stuff. The extras are all about blowing stuff up. There’s really nothing else to say about it…but it does have Will Smith.

Garden State

So, Shane and I went to see Garden State. I really liked it. I realized that I laughed through a lot of it. And Laura said that she thought that it would be appropriate for a discussion group with Canterbury Northwestern at some point. Though, it did take a big part of the movie to figure out why she would say that.

However, the coolest part is that Zach Braff has a blog!

Now…the debate of the end…(I will ruin it if you haven’t seen it)
Right after the movie, I had the feeling that I didn’t like the end. I thought that it was a basic, obvious way to end a movie. That he copped-out on it. That he just went with the “girl and guy together”. I couldn’t believe that he was in a healthy enough place to begin the relationship – we all know that one needs to be in balance in order to have a relationship.

Upon further reflection, perhaps that was my own stuff – and that maybe he had gotten to a great enough place. Perhaps he was in a good enough place in knowing that he “is okay” and can begin a new place in his life.

So – I’ll probably see it again. I wonder where I’ll be at then – what I’ll think about it another time around.

Das Rheingold

I received the coolest gift the other day. My new friend Beth works at the Lyric Opera. She gave me a ticket to Das Rheingold. It was amazing. They had a screen above the stage that projected the English subtitles. It was great. I had been wondering how I would understand, but figured that they would make it clear – and they did. It was a great story-line, beautiful costume, great voices. I’ve never seen opera in real life. Lots of musical theater, but never opera. It was great and I really appreciated the gift.

Borne Supremacy

Another old review…
So – I really could watch Matt Damon run all day long. I mean, the action in Borne Supremacy was great and it was entertaining (yes, Marc, I know, it doesn’t follow the book). I had a great time just sitting back and watching a movie. It had been a while since I’d been out. So, that was great.

Watching I did realize that I really want to be part of the making of a movie. Really. I don’t really need to be in the movie, I simply want to be present. I’ll run errands, get coffee. Whatever. I just want to be there. So – if you are making movies or know anyone who is (wonder if Kevin Smith reads my blog?), give me a call.

I, Robot

My dad I went to see I, Robot in Allegan (this is one of the things that I’ve wanted to post for a while – since I’m not in Allegan, not so new…). I was entertained. THIS CONTAINS SPOILERS. The end made me think about our technology. Will we eventually create technology that will take over? While the robots thought that they were doing good – they were protecting humans from harming each other – it does remove choice. So – the robots became a god – to care for humans but didn’t see how free will was the best choice. Interesting concept….

10 Big Ones by Evanovich

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Therapy by Kellerman

Jonathan Kellerman is my favorite male author. He is a child psychologist who writes about a child psychologist. The thrillers that he writes are great. I love the action and the mystery. Therapy returns to Alex Delaware as the main character. He’s the greatest.

It was great summer entertainment.

How to be Good

Shane recommended How to be Good by Nick Hornby. I really enjoyed the book. I thought that it touched on an important question – how good is good enough? What makes one good? Should every person be “good” in the same ways?

It was so intriguing and fit so well that I preached on it last Sunday. But I’m still contemplating parts of it – especially the end. As a person being ordained a priest, I’m called to do good things. But, as I’ve already experienced in life, I cannot do all the good things that I want to do. There are so many needs that I can easily get overwhelmed thinking about them – and then I freeze up and don’t actually do anything. I take a dream list and pick practical things that I can do.

The book has a tension between people doing good. The wife thinks that she does good work – she’s a doctor – but also sees the sin in her life. The husband is converted from a “bad” person into a “good” person. This doesn’t really make the wife happy. Instead, she is miserable as she tries to figure out how to relate to this newly converted husband. She is also not pleased with the ways that he wants to do/be good. It seems that by the end, they had just negotiated themselves out of doing good to make the wife happy.

I understand the tension between wanting to help and self care. I know that one must care for self and family and then others. What’s the trick of negotiating that?

I have lots of notes about it, but that’s the general idea. Any thoughts?

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Silent Prey

I’ve been reading the "Prey" series and have only gotten 4 books in. But Silent Prey by John Sandford was interesting to me because of the content. Part of the plot line involves cops killing repeat felons. I mean, I understand that we are called to love all people and offer forgiveness forever (a whole lot of time). But, there are a lot of people who would support vigilante cops who took out repeat felons. They are not innocent – and hurt innocent people. But it is returning violence with violence.

What do you think of this? What are practical ways that we can respond to violence in our communities?

The Terminal

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Frogs

I was able to see Nathan Lane’s Frogs on Broadway. It was amazing. Thanks to Mark for making that happen. Funny and entertaining and very poignant. Sondheim’s music and wit and Nathan Lane’s additions created a great theatrical event.

There were times when I was totally engrossed and oblivious of my surroundings. For me, it was an emotional follow-up for Fahrenheit 9/11. I questioned again my role in the world. What am I to do? How do I respond? Am I a frog and just sit around and wait for things to happen? Or can I change my behavior to create a better place for people? How can I affect my communities? I am still praying for discernment for this one. Where are you at with the state of the world? How do you feel about it? What do you think is the most productive way to make changes?

Back to the Quizzes

Posted by viagra at 2004 August 20 11:48:00 for http://www.viaga-viagra.greatnow.com

Janet Evanovich

I really like Janet Evanovich. I like the Stephanie Plum novels (numbered, beginning with One for the Money) the best. However, there is now a series involving “Full” in the title. The two newest books are Full Speed and Full Blast, co-authored by Charlotte Hughes. Again, entertaining but not substantial. (Well, for that matter, I can’t claim that anything involving Stephanie Plum is “substantial” but they are way more entertaining.)

3rd Degree

The great thing about having some free time is FICTION! I’ve had a list going and have been trying to work through it.

One of the books was 3rd Degree by James Patterson. I really like books series that are numbered – easy to keep track of and easy to read in order. Also helpful when they are entertaining. I’m not looking for serious reads yet…I’ll be working on that later. But I’ve been enjoying this series for the entertainment value. And women protagonists. This seems to be a problem when men write for the women, however. They sometimes say things that women would never say.

Fahrenheit 9/11

My favorite place to watch movies is at the M-89 theater. Evening shows - $3.50. Matinees - $2.50. Can’t beat that! A friend and I went to see Fahrenheit 9/11. WOW! It was very powerful. Planes, bombs, conspiracy. We think that Michael Moore may have gone a little far on the conspiracy and connection piece, but there is way too many things that have happened that just don’t connect with the stories that we’ve been told.

It definitely made me start thinking about what I’m doing with my life. How can I help people? What should I be doing to be most effective? Is what I’m doing making any difference to anyone? How do I respond to the crises in the world?

Spiderman 2

You will see a theme on my movies this summer – I’m at sucker for the big blockbusters. Really, I’m happy to be watching movies. So, of course I really liked Spiderman 2. Now, I also have to say, that there were some really funny pieces in this movie. Random things happened, small little random jokes. I found it entertaining.

Of course, I could also find questions to start discussions – How much can we help others? What happens when we deny our identities? What is the role of heroes in our lives?

And a random one – so – Must you have a super-hero in order to have a super-villain? When Spiderman throws his suit in the garbage? Doesn’t the super-villain have to disappear?

Kalamazoo Civic

The Kalamazoo Civic has a show this month called Class Reunion. It was really funny. It was an interactive theater production (like Tony and Tina’s Wedding). The actors were great. It was fun to see and do for the evening.

Harry Potter 3

My graduation present to myself was going to Harry Potter 3. Several of us went on Friday after graduation. I really enjoyed it. Sure, it was different than the book. Sure, it was a different director. But I really liked it. They would have had to do some major damage for me to be unhappy with it. Therefore, I loved it, it was great. I may not see it again in the theater, but probably again when it is out on DVD – for all those extras!

Levity for the Day…

So – here you can see what celebrities have done to themselves through the “miracles” of plastic surgery. It surprises me that someone would actually take the time to compile and keep this list… But also interesting enough to link to…

Super Size Me

Last night, we went to see Super Size Me. It was a great movie to watch, but honestly, I became physically sick. I’m way not excited about fast food as it is, but it made me even less excited. Yes, I understand that he was a little extreme, but for some people, they eat way too much. And we just need better nutrition all around. Less processing and more natural! That will become my new mantra.

The artwork was amazing. He credits popaganda. The soundtrack is awesome! and is supposed to be here. Unfortunately, it links to the amazon.com monster…for $17.98…so much for that… well, I guess if I’ve stopped eating at McDonald’s, I’ll spend less on doctors.

The credits even include Healthy Chef Alex to get off the fast food.

Movie Reviews

Jordan Hoffman is my new hero. He’s reviewed 365 movies in 365 days!

2 more weeks of this and then I’m free to watch movies and read fiction!

Triplets of Bellville

We watched Triplets of Bellville the other night. It was great. I really enjoyed it. I think that it was a well done movie. Very interesting animation. Definitely worth watching and a fun evening. Of course, I should have been doing work, but oh, well…

Looney Tunes: Back in Action

Of course Looney Tunes: Back in Action isn’t the most thought-provoking or inspiring movie, it was entertaining. And I love Brendan Fraser. I could watch him…well, act in movies like this. Or George of the Jungle. Appropriate for children and still a well-chiseled body to look at.

Camp

Watched Camp on video last weekend. I can’t believe the controversy surrounding this movie. Some friends hated it. Si and I found it more enjoyable. I wasn’t offended by it. Was entertaining to watch some really talented kids singing and dancing. The drama was a bit high, but I didn’t think that it was out of range from what I’ve experienced at camp or being involved in theater.

Have you seen it? What’s your opinion? Entertaining drama or confused movie with confused characters?

Christian Theologian

Thanks to Susie and Salty Vicar.

13 Going On 30

Okay – so, Si and I were looking for a movie appropriate for some young female friends. We thought maybe Mean Girls, but since one of them would be changing schools soon, I thought that it might not be the best thing for her to see. So, we thought that 13 Going On 30 would be a good choice. It definitely was.

However, for me it seemed to be more. I’m not sure that I can actually explain it. Perhaps being 30 and remembering being 13. Times of really mean people being mean (Are we sure that we didn’t see Mean Girls?). Wishing that I were somewhere else or someone else. Most of us don’t realize how we are affected by our decisions and not having the immediate connection between what we did at 13 influencing our lives at 30. Perhaps it was nostalgia. Perhaps it has to do with facing a huge transition with nowhere to go and no real plan. And while I realize that that is ok – I seem to really need some time off, it still makes for an uncertain future.

Talk to Her

Susie and I watched Talk to Her last night. Ok – I have to say that this is the second bizarre Spanish film I’ve seen in the last year. Are all Spanish films bizarre?

Lots of issues with relationship. What makes relationship? How do we keep boundaries with others? What is the line between helping someone and living for him/her?

How do we work with mental illness? How can we recognize it and help the person before damage is done to him/herself or others?

The Order

The Seabury movie night showed The Order this week. Wow. That was awful. I mean, entertaining, but a bad movie.

Susie and I talked about how religion often gets a bad rap in popular movies. It reminded me of an article that I read recently (I wish that I could remember where it was). They were talking about religion’s place in movies. Even though The Passion got some tough hits, but I do give Mel Gibson some points for following through on this vision. Though I may not agree with everything, I felt that Mel did try to portray an honest and serious view of Jesus. Will this open up a door for other religious movies? Might we see some good theology on screen? Maybe Si will write one.

Indigo Girls

Gary and I went to see Indigo Girls. We have done this several times. I love the Indigo Girls. They are great performers and have fantastic music. Last night had a lot less talking than they sometimes do. It was the smaller venue...maybe they were saving stories for tonight (playing at the Auditorium). I definitely need to spend some more time with the newer albums...I'm a little behind on knowing words...

Gala

Last night, my mom and I attended the Gala Celebration for the 75th year of the Kalamazoo Civic Theater. It was absolutely fabulous! They had invited back people who were now on Broadway or TV or movies to perform. Some of my friends were in the supporting chorus. Everyone did a fabulous job. The love in the audience was palpable. It is an amazing (and award-winning) theater and deserves the great praise that it received last night. The returning stars shared stories and love of the place. The event was well organized and came off with no apparent issues. Congrats to the staff for that!

Intolerable Cruelty

Well, we rented Intolerable Cruelty last night. I was disappointed. Some of it was really funny – as I expected, but parts of it just dragged. Oh, well. Can’t win them all.

Jersey Girl

I love Kevin Smith! Si, Joy, and I went to see Jersey Girl last night. It was a great. A thought provoking but fun movie. It brings up great issues about grief and family commitment. I feel that they didn’t address the grief as well as they could have. Ben Affleck’s character seems to get through the grief, but not very well and something was just missing for me there.

Identity issues tie into the family commitment. Changing responsibilities with children give parents an opportunity to re-examine who they are and who they want to be. Not an easy task (as comes up later in the movie), but children need and deserve the place of priority.

One of the parts that was funny to me – the opening credits include a casting credit. Okay – what in the world did she cast? It’s Kevin Smith! He just called up all his friends (Ben – oh, you have a new girl? Bring her along, we’ll give her a part, Matt, Jason, George) and said, “Hey! We’re doing another movie!” What casting???

Hidalgo

WOW! I’ve been looking forward to this movie ever since Laurie told me about it. Don and I went last night to see Hidalgo. AMAZING! Great movie – lots of action and an absolutely amazing horse. The horse should win an Oscar for the great work that he did. When you have a horse colored like that, you can’t have extras running around. That horse could act. And Viggo liked him so much, he took him home! Now, there’s good taste!

One question – could the Arabs really talk that much English in 1890?

Laurel Canyon

As a highly acclaimed movie, Laurel Canyon lives up to its reputation. Great acting, great characters, interesting ideas. What forms us as people? How do you start relating to parents in different ways as you age? What dysfunction exists in your system that you need to watch for?

My only problem is that I never believed the relationship between (Kate Beckinsale) and (Christian Bale). They were supposed to be a couple but I never felt any real chemistry between them. Definitely worth a watch. If you’ve seen it – what did you think?

Something’s Gotta Give

Mary and I went to see Something’s Gotta Give at the Catlow. Good movie, but parts of it hit a little too close to home. Some really amazing lines about women and men by Frances McDormand’s character. She talks about how a man at 63 who’s never been married can be admired. A woman at 63 who’s single is considered an old maid or a spinster. Exactly!

(Spoilers…don’t read if you don’t want to know the end) And, due to my personal connection with some of the plot, I totally think that Keanu Reeves’ character got jilted. It would have been great to have Diane Keaton’s realize that things were over and she needed to move on… and what better person than Keanu??????? (Who was looking especially hot this movie…all that working out for Matrix paid off.)

Movie Sites

I obviously watch a lot of movies.
My favorite site for all the information is Internet Movie Data Base.

I also enjoy reflecting on them. I know of a few resource sites for questions and issues raised in movies.
They are:
Movie Theology
Matrix Links

And of course, a new one for The Passion.

I would appreciate help in collecting more.

2 (more) movies

I know – I’ve seen a lot of movies lately. I really like having that borrowing privilege from the library. Walking and Talking (stay single? Get married?) and Lovely and Amazing (family relationships, struggles and joys of family and marriage) are done by the same writer/director. They are not the same characters, but an actress overlaps. Interesting story lines.

The Hotel New Hampshire

Hope and I started this the other night – and I finally finished it. She knew that it was based on a John Irving novel. It’s old – 1984 – and has Jodie Foster and Rob Lowe. It was an interesting look at family…and dysfunction. Some interesting adventure, some strange stuff, and a parallel to Fairy Tales that my sister will appreciate. The DVD box claims it as a “Contemporary Classic” and I’m not sure that I’d go that far for it, but if you get a chance to watch it for free, do it.

Another Awards Show

So, I didn’t actually watch the SAG Awards but the results are good – Johnny Depp won!

a Code...

So, also from Gary...

my code... B4 d- t+ k++ s u-- f+ i o+ x- e- l+ c

though - the code in and of itself contradicts itself - because i use MT but not on my own site... and i remember the last day that i posted - it was Wed, but that's only because i ended up not posting my sermon because it wouldn't make any sense if you weren't there...

and for some reason, i didn't get the little "decoder" part... so - you need to do it yourself.

Along Came Polly

Don and I went to see Along Came Polly. We both enjoyed it – an entertaining movie. It was cute and funny and definitely worth seeing. I really like Ben Stiller and I think that Jennifer Anniston is a great actress. Some of the basic bathroom humor, but some fun interactions and great chemistry between the lead characters. Interesting look at how people avoid or engage relationship. How does a person assess risk – and take risks that might not work out? Can you assess risk in relationship before you actually start it? Are relational risks quantify-able?

Another quiz

The blogger quiz...
this is what I got...

You are an Evan Williams.
You deserve much praise for empowering millions to annoy others in a way previously only imagined.
Take the What Blogging Archetype Are You test at GAZM.org

But, if you choose carefully, you can get:

You are an AKMA.
You stand out from the crowd because of deeply held beliefs in the unknown.
You ponder endlessly and treat everyone, even fucknozzles, with respect.
WWAD (what would AKMA do) guides your actions.
Take the What Blogging Archetype Are You test at GAZM.org

Tadpole

Hope and I watched Tadpole last night. We decided that Oscar definitely reminded us of Si (well, except for that stepmother part). It’s about his vocabulary – the lengthy words. And the Mac. I loved the movie. Hope thinks that all the adults acted like kids. We give it: “we liked it but it was weird” (what do you expect from independent films?). Also – digital video takes some getting used to.

Lantana

Lantana is an interesting movie. It had been on my list of things to see for a long time. I really like Anthony LaPaglia. Here, with an accent, he plays an interesting role of cop and adulterer. When it first came out, it was highly acclaimed (all those independent awards) and I did enjoy it (for more than just Anthony). It has some interesting points about love and relationships and how people interact with each other.

The Cooler

You should go see this movie! The Cooler is great and Laurie and I saw it at the Catlow in Barrington. She loves the theater too! There are some graphic parts of the movie, but it was very engaging and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some thoughtful questions about “luck” and where it comes from – who might have it. What does it mean to be lucky or unlucky? (My reflection: as a Christian, what do I believe about luck?) I really like William H. Macy and Alec Baldwin. I even like Maria Bello, though she can’t hold an accent for an entire movie. Oh, well… I highly recommend the movie. Thought that it was well done and though provoking. Great drama and adventure.

Biology quiz...

You are DNA. You're a smart person, and you appear
incredibly complex to people who don't know
you. You're incomparably full of information,
and most of it is useless.


Which Biological Molecule Are You?
brought to you by Quizilla

Bumper Sticker

I don’t suffer from insanity-
I enjoy every minute of it.

The real geek test…

Okay – I can now earn my geek score (posted a couple of days ago) – I have now finished The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. It was a present from Gary. I know – I got it in England and I’m just finishing it now. But I’ve been a little distracted by an ordination, GOEs, and field ed.

The Company

We went to see The Company. I love Robert Altman movies. I think that he’s fun and quirky and has a great sense of humor. This one started a little more slowly, but I really enjoyed it. It started getting funny and I think that some of the people in the theater missed the humor in it. Also, there was never a real relationship developed between the lead characters. They met, and then were basically living together. We never saw a conversation between them. They seemed to really click as characters, but we never saw the development.

Music??????

Okay, so I’m not a big Grammy fan. I usually skip them and have very little awareness that they even occurred. I happened to catch part of them last night. Boy, am I sorry about that…I should have just flipped the channel. It started with part of the pre-show on E!. Joan Rivers was talking to Hugh Hefner about his entourage and how he decided what they would wear. One of the women said, “We DO have opinions!” (insert whiny voice). To which Joan looked at her (and 2 women dressed exactly like her) and asked, “And yet you are dressed exactly like them!”

Then, to the awards – again, missed most of them – but caught Justin Timberlake and Christina Aguilera win. WHAT???? Against Sting and Sarah and many others that I can’t remember but was going to be more than happy if they won?? And Christina’s acceptance speech… “I hope not to reveal anything like Janet.” Um…if you wore a complete outfit, you wouldn’t have to worry about anything falling out…

To be fair, yes, I did like some of the choices… Oh, well. Why I never watch these things…

The Conspiracy Club

I have now finished The Conspiracy Club by Jonathan Kellerman. I love Kellerman. Most of his books follow the life of Alex Delaware. This book goes in a new direction. While I really like Alex, the new character, Jeremy, is fun and refreshing.

#1 Ladies’ Detective Agency

I first saw the #1 Ladies’ Detective Agency in England. My mother then gave it to me (on tape) for Christmas. The recording is great because of the woman performer. The book concentrates on African culture more than I thought, but it was very interesting. Definitely worth a read.

Scrabble Score

Well, not bad... but not as good as Xavier's score...

Pholph's Scrabble Generator My Scrabble© Score is: 27. What is your score? Get it here.

Map

Well, this originally came from DJWeso. I count states by places I’ve been to in a car – landing in an airport doesn’t count. This is different than Wes’ counting system. But, most of the states would count under his (eating in the state) system. Only 10 more to go – I’m almost there!

create your own visited states map
or write about it on the open travel guide

Freaky movies

For some reason, I ended up watching several really freaky movies all in the same couple of days. Though, honestly, most of these were watched before the GOEs, and I finally finished the last one until recently.

From Hell – you know, Johnny Depp is amazing and beautiful. Do I need to say anything more? Worth watching.

Vulgar – Kevin Smith is a fine, fine man. Brilliant and witty. This is not a Jay and Silent Bob movie…and more weird than anything else that he’s made that I’ve seen. Definitely vulgar, and not for the weak of heart, or stomach.

Frailty – freaky movie. Which shows that Bill Paxton is a very weird and twisted man. A nice twist at the end. Some interesting questions about how to discern God’s will – and what God’s will is. And who is in charge of justice? Not a movie I’ll watch with a group because it was just not appropriate for most groups to use for discussion, but if you happen to have seen it, I would love to know what you thought. Maybe just another excuse for a freaky movie.

Soul Survivors

Soul Survivors has to be the worst movie that I’ve ever seen…but it has a GREAT location! So – if you have a chance to check it out – definitely see Seabury in a movie. But, don’t look for a plot. Now, don’t get me wrong – I never expected much of a plot from a “teenage slasher movie” but this one is incomprehensible than anything that I’ve ever seen. There wasn’t even a chronology. It was so absolutely awful that we all just had to laugh. It was definitely a community movie and I’m glad that Andrew, Hope, Susie, and Si were there. Otherwise, I would have been bored out of my mind and no one would have been there to share sarcastic comments with.

But, really – great location!

Me a Geek? I mean, really....

Well, since I haven't done a quiz lately, Andi pointed to this one, and I thought it was time to check it out.

Take the Polygeek Quiz at Thudfactor.com

Cheaper by the Dozen

I was skeptical, but Cheaper by the Dozen delivers laughs. I figured that it would be cute – but I really do enjoy Steve Martin and adore Bonnie Hunt. Definitely a family friendly movie and enjoyable for a crazy (and touching) look at family life. The kids did a great job and I can only imagine that the set was as chaotic as the movie described the family to be...

Sweeney Todd

I have now seen Sweeney Todd!!!!!!! This was a very exciting moment… I’ve wanted to see this in forever. It was at the Kalamazoo Civic. They did a great job. Jen was part of the crew (doing spot). While there, I ran into Nick. If you’ve never seen it – it’s quite an experience. A very …um… interesting plot – Sweeney kills people and his downstairs neighbor bakes them into meat pies. Not a play for the weak of stomach – or heart.

A new play…

I was given a preview ticket to “Great Men of Science, Nos. 21 & 22” at the Lookingglass Theatre. (Thanks Lee and Tim!) It was an interesting performance. Someone said that it was “hilariously funny”. I wouldn’t necessarily to with that. But, being a scientist, that aspect was interesting to me. It covered the lives of Vancanson and Spallanzanni. Vancanson created a mechanical duck that could eat and excrete. Spallanzanni’s work with frogs provided the basis for the technology to clone Dolly. Neither story incredibly uplifting or joyful, but interesting. And I really liked the set!

If you get a chance, see it – but understand that it really does concentrate on the scientists’ lives.

In America

Susie, Luke, Hope, Jane, Si, and I went to see In America at the theater in Wilmette. It was a lot better than I thought it would be. Now, mind you, I had it confused with another movie…like, I thought the plot line was different… But it had come out in England while I was still there, and I wasn’t so excited about seeing it.

But it was very good. Some great new faces. And Samantha Morton who did a passable, though understated, accent.

Lost in Translation

I give Lost in Translation a mediocre review. It was fine, but not fantastic. It had an “artsy” feel about it. It was an interesting look at an ambiguous relationship (thanks to Hope for that phrase). Bill Murray was great and I love Scarlett Johannson. The best part of the movie was the location that I saw it – the Catlow in Barrington. It is a converted old stage theater. Rumor is, they might be closing it down – or it is at least for sale. It would be a shame to lose a $4/movie theater. The world needs more of those.

Tori!

So – I forgot to add the biggest surprise about Mona Lisa Smile – a cameo by Tori Amos. It was great! They’re all at a party – and suddenly – there’s Tori, singing away.

Mona Lisa Smile

I saw Mona Lisa Smile and really liked it. It was an interesting (though many claim inaccurate) look at Wellsley College in the 1950s. I thought that it looked like Cambridge. It brought up some really interesting points that I’ve thought about recently. What does “women’s lib” mean? There were women who worked really hard to ensure that I could be in the work force, and even more women who have paved the way to my being priest. It took a lot of time and a lot of effort, but there are many more places for women.

What about the women who want to (and feel called to) raise children? I ran into a woman one day said that she was staying home with her children. I said, “That’s great! What a great gift that you can give to your children!” She looked shocked and made some apologetic comment about not working and how no one else has been as enthusiastic as I have been.

But why shouldn’t I be excited? Why should she have to apologize for staying home with her children? Isn’t part of “women’s lib” the freedom to choose what it is that we want to do? Doesn’t it also mean that we allow men the choice to do what they want to do (home/work)? It’s one of those things that I wonder about in society. I mean, yes, we did great things to make women almost equal in a work setting…and then think less of them if they don’t “take advantage” of it.

Celebrity

Celebrity is an entertaining romp – by Woody Allen! And has absolutely everyone – does everyone in Hollywood owe him a favor? It is an interesting story line that revolves around how hyped up everyone becomes when someone “famous” is around. The black and white filming was a nice, interesting touch. Definitely worth a watch for some fun entertainment, but not overly stellar (as seems to be Allen’s stuff, IMO).

Dr. Seuss

An interesting result on this one…

Which Dr. Seuss character are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Stigmata

So, on my day off (yes, I know – I just started work yesterday and I already had a day off…), I watched Stigmata. So, have y’all seen this? A very interesting portrayal of the search for the Gospel of Thomas. This information isn’t given until the end (I know, I’ve now ruined it for you). Nothing really jumped out at me as “bad” theology. It seemed to fairly portray the history and beliefs about stigmata. I’m not sure that it’s worth using for even a discussion group…which was my original hope. But thought that I’d throw it out to see if anyone else had seen it.

Break day!

So, day #2 went okay…and today was great…a day of rest and relaxation.

Thanks to all those who have helped me out this week – Susie, Hope, Mark, Jane, Si – and many others who are praying for me and ministering to me. Terry and Sharon for dinner. 16 more hours of testing (not that I’m counting). Then, time to clean up the room. I own a lot of books…

I had lunch with Ann and that was fun. Later, a group of us went and saw Big Fish tonight! It was great! I would highly recommend it. I cried, but it was a great stress reliever. Then, a nice long sit in the hot tub with Joelene and Cece. Now, time for bed…

quizilla quizzes

You know, I think that they really shouldn’t let just anyone invent quizzes. Like, I took the Johnny Depp quiz and I seem to know an awful lot about him. But what questions did I get right and which did I get wrong??

Wow! You're a true Johnny Depp fan. You probably
know almost everything there is to know about
him. Congratulations!


How much do you really know about Johnny Depp? (not an easy one)
brought to you by Quizilla

Though with posts like this, I guess that others could say that they shouldn't give just anyone a web site...

movies

I'm a little behind on giving movie reviews... So, I thought that I'd talk about several that I've seen over the past few weeks.

Johnny English – really funny, as long as you don’t take it so seriously. It was a very fun diversion for the evening…brainless.

Blow Dry – a hilarious movie starring Alan Rickman. It concentrates on a hairdressing contest in a small town in England. It was incredibly entertaining. Definitely worth renting.

Love Actually – GREAT movie! I really enjoyed it. Some people complained about the number of story lines. I was a little worried about it before it started, but I think that it came together well. I never got lost in the story lines. The opening was really interesting to me. It gave me a new perspective on the September 11 tragedy. The opening monologue talked about how the phone calls made on that day were about love. People about to die were not calling old enemies – but rather loved ones. The movie worked through the many different story lines. At the end, there were a few questions that I had, but I’m just looking forward to the deleted scenes on the DVD to answer those.

SWAT – on the plane back from England. A brainless, violent movie. But fun to see – especially for free.

Matchstick Men – also on the plane. I was really excited to see this as an option. I wanted to see it and missed it. It was really interesting. A con game type movie, but I really appreciate watching Nicolas Cage act in pretty much anything.